Excavating-bucket.



C. J. COOK.

EXCAVATING BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9. I916.

Patented July 3, 19176 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C. J. COOK.

EXCAVATING BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED 0019,1916.

1 ,Q3L852 Patented July 3, 1917.

2 SHETS-SHEET 2.

UNTTED STATE ATN CHARLES J. COOK, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

EXCAVATING-BUCKET.

Application filed October 9, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. COOK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Portland, county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Excavatlng- Buckets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to excavating buckets, and particularly to that type commonly known as grab buckets, and comprising cooperating jaws which, while open, are dropped on the material to be moved, and when closed will dig into and close upon such material. The jaws of the buckets of this type are ordinarily closed by means of cables controlled by winding drums located at a distant point, but since these buckets are partially lifted during the closing operation, they do not develop as eflicient closing and digging power as is desirable.

One of the main objects of my invention is to provide an efficient, simple means for forcibly closing the jaws of the bucket, such means consisting of a flexible power devlce mounted on the bucket itself, and operating to cause the jaws of the bucket to close upon and dig into the material to be removed while resting thereon, and avoidlng any action tending to lift the bucket from the material.

Incidentally I prefer to so arrange my invention as to include differential winding drums, since thereby an ellicient closmg effort of the power arm will be developed, and, furthermore, the parts are all arranged for effective cooperation.

The details of my invention are all fully shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: t

Figure 1 is a side view, partly 1n sectlon, of the bucket, equipped with the devlces of my invention:

Fig. 2 is a fragmental section taken approximately on the line 22 of Fig. 1, wlth the cables removed; and

Figs. 3 and 4% are diagrammatic, sectional views of the differential winding drums taken on lines 33 and 4.--4 respectively, and form an important part of the invention.

a and I) represent the complementary jaws or bucket halves of an excavating bucket of the type mentioned. The j aw a is provided with rigid arms 0 at its sldes, connected by Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 191?.

Serial No. 124,717.

an integral shaft from which extends a centrally located power arm (Z. Shaft ends c extend outwardly from the arms 0, and the jaw Z) is provided with arms f at its sides, which are pivotally mounted on said shaft ends 6. Two pairs of toggle arms g, it are pivoted at their lower ends to ears (4, b on the jaws a, b, and are pivoted at the upper end to a common shaft 2'. A shackle j is pivotally attached to the shaft 2', and is provided with a pin is, adapted to be engaged by the hook of a hoisting element, not shown in these drawings.

Rigidly fixed on the shaft 2' is a gear 9%, and also rigidly fixed on said shaft 2', on opposite sides of the gear m, are differential winding drums n and 0, the diameter of the drum n beingslightly larger than that of the drum 0. These drums are each provided with a helical peripheral groove, and serve the purpose of fair leaders for the cables 8, t, as will be seen.

A shaft 79 is ournaled in the outer end of the power-arm (Z, and rigidly fixed on the opposite ends of this shaft are idler drums g, r, positioned in the same planes, respectively, as the differential drums n, 0.

The cable 8 has one end fixed to the drum n and its other end is fixed to the drum being led from one to the other and being adapted to wind up and unwind in the manner shown in Fig. 4. The cable t has one end secured to the drum 0, and its other end is secured to the drum 1", this cable being led from one drum to the other and being adapted to wind up and unwind in the man ner shown in Fig. 3. It is to be noted that the drums at, 0 and the gear m will rotate in unison with the shaft 2', and the drums g, 7', being fixed on the shaft 79, will likewise rotate in unison with the latter. And, as obvious, when the cable 3 is wound up on the drum n, the cable If will be unwound from the drum 0, and vice-versa.

Mounted on the toggle arms 72, is a reversible steam engine or motor a, connected to and driving the shaft 2;, and fixed on the latter is a pinion w, in mesh with and adapted to drive the gear m.

00 represents the steam exhaust pipe and y and z are flexible conduits which carry the steam to the two cylinders of the engine; 5 is a conduit carrying the steam from a convenient source, 0. g. the steam boiler of the hoisting engine, and 6 is a three-way valve, the operation of which will cause the engine to run in either direction, or to remain inactive.

I prefer to use a steam-driven motor, because my experiments have convinced me they are more dependable for the work required; but, of course, my invention contemplates the use of any suitable motor as the driving agent.

The general operation of my device is as follows:

Assuming that the bucket is closed, as shown in Fig. 1, and in position to be dumped, the valve 6 is then so operated as to energize the engine to drive the shaft o counter-clockwise, and thus rotate the gear on and therewith the differential drums at, 0 in a clockwise direction.

The consequent unwinding of the cable 3 from the larger drum n, and the simultaneous winding up of the cable 6 on the smaller drum 0, will develop a differential slack in the cables 8, t, permitting the arm (Z to drop and the jaws a, b, of the bucket to open by their own weight. When the bucket is to be closed again, the drive of the steam engine is reversed so as to rotate the gear m counter-clockwise, which action will cause the cable 8 to wind up on the drum n, and the cable 6 to unwind from the drum 0, in so doing raising the power-arm (Z and 010s ing the jaws of the bucket.

The details of construction of some parts of my device are merely such as I found convenient to use in order to attain the result desired, and hence may be varied within the scheme of my invention.

I claim:

1. In an excavating bucket, the combination of complementary jaws hinged on a common axis, a power arm projecting from one jaw and adapted normally to rotate the latter on its said axis, toggle members connected at their lower ends with the outer ends of said jaws and converging at their upper ends, primary, differential drums rotatably mounted in said upper ends, drums complementary to said primary drums rotatably mounted in the free end of said power arm, oppositely wound cables connecting the primary drums and the complementary drums, and motor-driven means for rotating said primary drums.

2. In an excavating bucket, the combination of complementary jaws hinged on a common axis, a power-arm projecting from one jaw and adapted normally to rotate the latter on its said axis, toggle members connected at their lower ends wit-h the outer ends of said jaws and converging at their upper ends, primary, differential peripherally grooved drums rotatably mounted in said upper ends, drums complementary to said primary drums rotatably mounted in the free end of said power arm, oppositely wound cables connecting the primary drums and theeomplementary drums, and motordriven means for rotating said primary drums.

3. In an excavating bucket, the combination of complementary jaws hinged on a common axis, a power-arm projecting from one jaw and adapted normally to rotate the latter on its said axis, toggle members connected at their lower ends with the outer ends of said jaws and converging at their upper ends, a shaft supported in such upper ends, a gear fast on such shaft, primary, differential drums also rigidly mounted on said shaft, a shaft carried by the free end of said power-arm, drums complementary to said primary drums, a motor, and a pinion, driven thereby, meshing with said gear.

l. In an excavating bucket, the combination of complementary jaws hinged on a common axis, a power-arm projecting from one jaw and adapted normally to rotate the latter on its said axis, toggle members connected at their lower ends with the outer ends of said jaws and converging at their upper ends, a shaft supported in such upper ends, a gear fast on such shaft, primary, differential, peripherally grooved drums also rigidly mounted on said shaft, a shaft carried by the free end of said power arm, drums complementary to said primary drums on said last mentioned shaft, a motor, and a pinion, driven thereby, meshing with said gear.

CHARLES Jfooox.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

